


Midnight Comfort

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Galra sleep in packs, Hurt/Comfort, Nests, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13211286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: Keith has a nightmare during his time with the Blade of Marmora. The ones he is closest with try to comfort him.





	Midnight Comfort

It had been two months since Keith had left the castle of lions and made his home at the Blade of Marmora headquarters. It didn't feel like home, but he supposed nothing really could. He had never had a "home" anywhere, at least not in the way everyone described it. He merely had a place of shelter, not somewhere where he truly felt welcome. 

His room was about the same size as the one he had at the castle, and every bit as bare. Soft purple pillows and blankets laid on his bed, his signature red jacket hung on the wall. His marmora suit hung in what he assumed was a closet, and his black shirt and pants were in there whenever he was wearing the marmora suit.

He didn't know why, but the Galra that were so clearly very important in the Marmora ranks had taken an interest in him. When he had asked, they had simply explained that he was a 'kit' by Galran terms. Nevertheless, they never gave him any attention that he didn't want, and he was grateful for that. 

He stuck to a routine for the most part. Wake up, eat breakfast, train, eat lunch, train, relaxation time, dinner, sleep, repeat. The cycle was only interrupted by missions. 

The 'sleep' part of his routine was the only thing that bothered him.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the cold, unforgiving looks of anger that his team had given him when he had walked in after skipping a missions in favor of a Marmora mission. He saw the glare that Allura gave him just for being Galra. He heard words of pure hatred.

Shiro, the man he trusted and looked up to, telling him that he was no better than the people that had taken him captive. That he was what they were; cold, disgusting monsters.

And every night, he would wake up and sit in his bed, his body cold and tears stinging at the back of his eyelids. 

Some nights, such as this, he would get up and walk around, his mind running too fast for him to ever hope to get back to sleep. He would stay as quiet as possible, knowing that he enhanced hearing of his Galra companions could lead them to wake up at even the slightest noise. 

He wandered through the maze-like halls of the base, trying to think through everything. He was part Galra, somehow connected to the Blade of Marmora.

He stopped in front of a door that was cracked open just the slightest bit. He knew it the room that Kolivan, Antok, Thace, and Ulaz had their nest in. He could never understand Galran sleeping rituals. They would build a nest-like structure our of pillows and blankets. They would sleep in groups or packs. 

The four had made it clear to Keith that the door was cracked in case he needed to sleep in a group, too. It was open to any new recruits, actually, ones who didn't quite have a pack within the base yet.

As cold as they seemed, Keith had come to realize that the leader and second hand men of the Blades were actually quite friendly.

When he peaked in, Keith could see Kolivan wrapped protectively around the other three, as though shielding them from something. Thace was asleep with his head resting on Ulaz's stomach, with said doctor resting his head on Antok's chest.

Keith realized, in that moment, that he was the only one in the base without a pack. No one to curl up to and no one to shield him from his nightmares. No one to tell him his worries about his team hating him were silly and not grounded in truth. Somewhere else in the base, there were other small groups, similarly relaxed and asleep.

The full weight of that idea hit him like a tidal wave of emotion, and the tears he had been holding back spilled down his cheeks at long last with a small sob.

At the small sound, Antok's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the room. Keith clamped a hand over his mouth and pressed his back against the wall outside the door, like he was being hunted by Galra centries instead of an fellow Blade. He was right about the enhanced hearing, Keith supposed. That, or they were light sleepers, ready to run and attack at a moment's notice. 

The door opened and Antok steped out, looking around until his eyes landed on Keith. He bent at the knees just enough so he was eye-level with Keith, trying to ease even some of the fear he might have held. 

And it helped, somewhat. Keith felt much more relaxed without Antok's much larger form towering over him. He wiped desperately at his eyes, before two clawed hands gently wrapped around them, pulling away. 

"Keith, what is wrong? Has something happened?" Antok asked, more than a bit worried. Keith was really just a child, Galra lived for far longer than any human could ever hope to live for. And Keith was almost impossible to read most of the time. For him to be crying outside of their door in the middle of the night was a worrying sight indeed.

"Nothing, just a... nightmare of sorts." Keith said. Did Galra even have nightmares?

Antok nodded a bit. "Do you wish to speak about it?" He asked, tilting his head much in the way of a confused cat. Keith paused, did he want to talk about it? No, he didn't know Antok well enough to spill his worries to him. He shook his head a bit.

Luckily, Antok didn't push him. "Would you like to sleep with us? Is that why you're out here so late?" He asked. Keith weighed his options for a moment. He could finally feel what it was like to sleep in a group like his Galra half so desperately craved to do. On the other hand, would he be intruding? They had made the option open to him, but was it more of a courteous thing to do rather than an option commonly taken?

He really, really wanted it, however. He found himself nodding. 

Antok smiled a bit and stood up to his full height, a minimum of a foot taller than the red paladin, though Keith was willing to bet it was closer to two feet taller. He walked back into the room, Keith right behind him. 

When they came to edge of the cuddle pile, Antok crouched down and nudged Ulaz until his golden eyes opened blearily. They had a quiet conversation in Galran, one in which Keith assumed Antok had asked Ulaz to scoot over, because the lavender doctor scooted so there was a small spot between himself and Kolivan. 

At the sensation of his head moving with Ulaz's stomach caused Thace to rouse from his sleep, too. He glanced around in confusion before seeing Keith standing awkwardly at the edge of their nest, tense, clearly having no idea what to do or where to lay. He saw tear tracks drying on his cheeks, a few more tears sliding down his cheeks as well.

Thace frowned a reached out, grabbing onto Keith's hand and pulling him inti the crook between Kolivan and Ulaz, which was just big enough for Keith to nestle into. 

"What happened, Keith?" Thace asked, his voice too loud for Keith's taste. He would prefer not to wake the leader of the blades if he could help it.

"What is going on?"

Too late.

Kolivan was wide awake, looking at Keith like he had grown a second head, no doubt very confused.

"The kit had a nightmare." Antok explained, settling back into his spot, "He wishes to sleep in here."

Thace nodded. "Would you like to talk about it?" He asked. Keith hesitated a bit.

"It was about my friends, the other paladins." He said softly.

Ulaz tilted his head. "Were they hurt?" He asked. Antok looked at him, hissing a quick "Let him finish first!"

"No, they were more... hurting me? Not physically, but... verbally? Emotionally? They were all... mad at me. Mad because I'm here, because I want to know about my heritage. Mad that I'm... Galra, I guess? I guess I'm just... kind of scared about it happening in real life?" Keith said.

The four other Galra paused. They couldn't confirm nor deny his fears, could they? Allura and Coran's entire species had been destroyed by Galra, and Shiro's arm had been taken by Galra. They had very valid prejuidices against Galra.

"Keith, if they don't accept this part of you, were they ever true friends of yours?" Thace said. Keith smiled, it sounded exactly like what a parent would say.

"No, I guess not." Keith answered.

Everyone tries to be touching Keith in some way. Thace and Ulaz were hugging him, Antok had his tail wrapped securely around his waist, and Kolivan was curled protectively around him. The warmth and security led Keith into a deep sleep, one undisturbed by nightmares or worries. He finally knew what it was like to have a family that cared about him and his wellbeing, no matter what.


End file.
